About Chir Chir

The K-wave isn’t settling down yet. Located in [email protected], Chir Chir Fusion Chicken Factory is the latest Korean fried chicken chain to hit our shores. Originally from South Korea, the fried chicken chain has over 100 stores across the country as well as in China and Taiwan.

Pronounced “chi-ruh chi-ruh,” the name is a play on of the sound boiling oil makes when fresh chicken hits the deep fryer. The eatery’s concept is inspired by chimaek (chi = chicken, maekju = beer) culture which celebrates the gastronomical pairing of chicken and beer, popular in Korea.

The Food At Chir Chir

Mango Salad ($11.90)

We started off with fruity appetisers like this plate of mixed greens, mangoes and blueberries with yoghurt dressing. The dish is wholly subtle and is a refreshing start to your palette before heading for the meats.

Honey Grape Salad ($18.90)

The basis of all salads are a foundation of greens but this dish says otherwise. Chir Chir doesn’t have a dessert menu so this would be the closest dish to getting one. The entire bowl is full of halved, seedless green grapes sprinkled with walnuts, raisins and pine nuts topped with homemade whipped cream and ricotta cheese.

Garlicky Wings! ($28.90)

Served in a large batch of seven wings and seven drumlets, these deep fried chicken wings in soy sauce and garlic could give Four Fingers’ soy garlic chicken a run for their money. The wings are pleasantly spicy alongside sweet potatoes and pan-fried toppoki (rice cakes) which are tasty side additions.

Spicy Wings! ($28.90)

Also served with 14 pieces of chicken wings and drumlets, this serving is surprisingly less spicy than the garlic sauce. The deep fried chicken pieces are coated in crunchy batter and garnished with dried chilis. Ironically, for those who can’t take too much heat, we say your tastebuds are better off with this platter.

Crispy Fried Chicken ($26.90)

Each platter of golden goodness is marinated for 6 hours in homemade seasoning before being battered and deep fried. In comparison to the unbeatable KFC, Chir Chir’s has the golden look, the crunch, less oil and tender chicken. But we say we’d still pick the Colonel’s one any day. The batter tasted lighter but in comparison it was a bit bland.

Nest Snow ($32.90)

The whipped cream makes a return. Curiously presented, a pile of Cajun-flavoured fried chicken tenders sits in a pool of sweet potato puree, cream sauce and vegetables, topped off with whipped cream and shredded cheeses. It was a peculiar arrangement that puts the “fusion” right here in Chir Chir Fusion Chicken Factory. The Cajun chicken’s a winner but the whipped cream seemed out of place.

Spicy BBQ Roasted Chicken ($32.90)

Though fried chicken is their best seller, they do exceptionally well in roasting poultry as well. Using a whole chicken, it is marinated for 12 hours before roasting in the oven and pan-fried with spicy BBQ sauce. It is accompanied with salsa, a whole salt-baked egg and baked potato with sour cream. The spice will leave a lingering taste in your mouth so this is not for the faint-hearted!

If you had to try just one dish, we guarantee you won't regret this one.

Drinks

For a refreshing addition to the table and in aid to extinguish the spicy flame from your tastebuds, four flavoured mocktails are available: blueberry and forest berries, blue lemonade, green grape and passion fruit. An iSi soda charger is used to fizz up the soda right before serving and poured into the jug. You can also request to turn your drink into a cocktail with the addition of soju.

Chir Cream Beer ($13.90, 350ml/$18.90 650ml)

Third time’s a charm - it’s whipped cream again! A typical glass of draught beer is topped off with a dollop of whipped cream. This odd combination is inspired by a romantic scene in a Korean drama where the actor wiped off a milk moustache on his partner and Chir Chir hopes to recreate the scene among its diners.

We were served with a straw as we were advised to stir the whipped cream into the beer to give it a milky texture. The whipped cream didn't do much for me; I still prefer my beers cold and straight from the tap.

The Verdict

Fried chicken and beer is a classic food combination that can’t go wrong. Their fried chicken is crispy and flavourful, hitting the right levels of spiciness. However, I never thought I’d say this but they need to hold back on the whipped cream. The fusion dishes are a tad strange for my liking and the whipped cream didn’t contribute to the taste.

As for the chicken, the clear winner to us was the Spicy BBQ Roasted Chicken. So be sure to give that a try when you're here!

Score: 6.5/10

Getting There

They’ve taken over a good corner at [email protected]’s basement plus they have a massive banner that’s got nothing but fried chicken drumlets on them so it’s not hard to miss. They’ve also opened a new branch at Bedok so that’s one more for the Easties!